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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · game · kid · spell · cabinet · racket · suit · chest

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spell — letters
  11. game — a match
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mate — a friend
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — a partner
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kid — child
  24. suit — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com